At the Disney Pixar press event for Coco, I had the opportunity to screen Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. Today on Theresa’s Reviews, I’m sharing the details of my Olaf drawing demo with animator Michael Franceschiand animation supervisor Chad Sellers. Also, I’m excited I can finally share some special Disney news! After Olaf’s limited run in theaters, it is coming to television.

Pin this for later! Hover over the image and click the Pin button.

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure TV Air Date Announcement

As soon as I could announce when Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is coming to TV, I shared the news to the Theresa’s Reviews Twitter and Facebook pages! Today I’m sharing all the details.

You can see Olaf’s Frozen Adventure when it makes its broadcast television debut on Thursday, December 14, 2017 from 8:00 – 8:30 p.m. EST on The ABC Television Network.

The featurette will join Emmy® Award-winning ‘Prep and Landing’ (2011) for a delightful hour of Walt Disney Animation Studios holiday specials during the 25 Days of Christmas celebration.

This airing was first announced during production in early 2016, and it follows the featurette’s recently completed limited theatrical run in front of Disney Pixar’s hit feature Coco. With four new original songs, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure welcomes back the beloved characters and cast who won over audiences worldwide in the 2013 Oscar®-winning feature, “Frozen,” the top-grossing animated film of all time.

Academy Award®-winning producer Roy Conli (“Big Hero 6”) says, “We are thrilled to be part of ABC’s ‘25 Days of Christmas’ festivities. While making the film, our crew was so inspired by all of the great television holiday specials of the past. It’s a dream come true for all of us.”

After I screened the featurette at the Disney Animation Studios building, I got a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of Olaf. Animator Michael Franceschi and animation supervisor Chad Sellers showed us the different stages of animation.

The Stages Of Making Animation For Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

After watching the movie, it was neat to see a scene taken apart into its most raw form as a sketch.

The animator’s sketch of Olaf and Sven the Reindeer from Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

The animators explained that before sketching, they meeting with the directors. They talk about the point of the scene and they look over the storyboards. Next, they translate the storyboards to 3D, while thinking about hitting key poses, timing, and space.

Animators first meet with the directors to decide what the scene will look like.

According to the animators, sketching in the computer is similar to moving puppets. First, you do the blocking, which in animation, means creating key poses to place the characters and props in the scene.

Blocking is one of the first stages in animation. Here, you can see an early stage in the animation.

After blocking out the ideas, the animators sell the ideas to the directors. People give feedback. Since a lot can change, the animators work with small bits at a time. They only create every four frames because it’s easier to make changes. This makes the scene look choppy, but they can add in the detail later.

Animators work with four frames at a time so it will be easier to make changes.

The subtleties you see on screen take a lot of work! In fact, the animators said they even act out different scenes. This helps them make sure they really get the character correct.

To get the characters right, the animators act out scenes as they work on each part!

Check out this video another blogger, Sarah Mock, took to show the digital progression of creating Olaf’s Frozen Adventure.

Olaf Drawing Lesson

Next, Michael Franceschi and Chad Sellers demonstrated how to draw Olaf! Their sketching process on the screen went so fast. I enjoyed seeing the software Disney animation uses. Disney has Academy Award® winning software! Seeing this unique combination of the arts and technological innovation was very impressive.

Michael Franceschi and Chad Sellers demonstrated how to draw Olaf!

My drawing ended up not looking anywhere near as adorable and friendly as the professional one, but I was happy that I made an attempt to follow along with the tutorial! Afterwards, I was able to get the signatures of Michael Franceschi and Chad Sellers on my drawing.

Olaf drawing tutorial from the animators of Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

Visiting the Disney Animation building to learn how to draw Olaf was an incredible experience! I might not become a professional artist anytime soon, but I have a ton of respect for the animators who work so hard to make the movies my family loves.

More About Olaf’s Frozen Adventure

In “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,” Olaf (voice of Josh Gad) teams up with Sven on a merry mission. It is the first holiday season since the gates reopened. Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) and Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel) host a celebration for all of Arendelle. When the townspeople unexpectedly leave early to enjoy their individual holiday customs, the sisters realize they have no family traditions of their own. So, Olaf sets out to comb the kingdom to bring home the best traditions and save Anna and Elsa’s “first Christmas in forever.”

“Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” is directed by Emmy-winning filmmakers Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton (“Prep & Landing”) and is produced by Oscar winner Roy Conli (“Big Hero 6”). The featurette includes a screenplay by Jac Schaeffer and four original songs by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson.

Olaf’s Frozen Adventures is coming to ABC television network on Thursday, December 14, 2017 from 8:00 – 8:30 p.m. EST.

Disclosure: I received a free item to be part of the#OlafsFrozenAdventure and #PixarCocoEvent press event, but it in no way influenced my opinion.

About The Author

Theresa has been writing since 2010 in magazines and online. Her lifestyle and parenting expertise has been featured in publications, including ShopSmart and Scholastic. She earned an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt as well as a BA in History from Flagler College, and she is a certified teacher.

This would be a neat one to see how the characters are not only drawn but how they come to life. Animation has come such a long way from just a few years ago. The characters are so much smoother and realistic. The artists on this one did a wonderful job.

Welcome!

If you’re looking for lifestyle, entertainment and family fun ideas, you’re in the right place!

My name is Theresa Pickett, and I have been writing for websites and magazines since 2010 after being an actress, movie producer, and casting director in New York, Los Angeles, and Nashville since 2007. I work as a brand ambassador to major lifestyle brands, and my work has been featured on FOX News and more.

I am a mom of two children and a certified teacher with an M.Ed in Elementary Education from Vanderbilt University. With my blog, I hope to inspire parents to find celebrations in every day moments, to enjoy finding learning opportunities for their children in unexpected places, and to find time for themselves as well.